Russian trade surplus narrows slightly to $17 bln in May - Klepach
ST. PETERSBURG. June 21 (Interfax) - Russia's trade surplus narrowed to an estimated $17 billion in May this year from $17.4 billion in May 2012, Deputy Economic Development Minister Andrei Klepach told reporters on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum.
Klepach said that, according to Economic Development Ministry calculations, exports from Russia last month were down 5.3% in annual terms at $43.2 billion from $45.6 billion. May imports declined even more - 7% to $26.2 billion from $28.2 billion. "Imports, it turns out, very strongly depend on the number of workdays," which is why this unexpected drop took place, as there were three fewer this May than last.
In January-May, exports from Russia decreased 4.5% year-on-year to $212.4 billion while imports increased 2.6% to $131.4 billion.